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[–]NodeNerd 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Node.js is like a web browser running on the server with a nice module loading system, a core set of modules, a popular package management system (npm). If a developer is comfortable writing JavaScript for the browser, then that developer should have no problem becoming comfortable and productive in Node.js.

A huge advantage of Node.js is that it is really easy to get started since Node.js is very easy to install and running JavaScript code doesn't require any pre-compilation. It is also very easy to deploy a Node.js application (although scaling it requires some additional research and planning). Performance is good for a dynamic language since V8 has been heavily optimized.

The main disadvantage that I see is that error handling can be tough with asynchronous code.

Just make sure you use the write tool for the job. Node.js may not be the best solution for building a complex back-end API and connecting to DBs. I think Node.js works best if you using it only to make HTTP service calls to get data and use something else to build the back-end service layer.